“Facing every disappointment with trust in the Lord and confidence in His Providence!”
(Based on Rev 1:1-4; 2:1-5 and Lk 18:35-43 – Monday of the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year 2)
An elderly person, who was known to be very joyful and optimistic in life, was once asked by his little nephew: “Uncle, what is the secret of your happiness?
Don’t you ever have disappointments?”
The uncle looked at the little lad and responded:
“Child… life has taught me to trust in God above all, and know that His Hand is there with me, at all times.
When Disappointment comes to me, all that I do is:
Change a letter!
The ‘D’ in Disappointment has to be made ‘H’
Thus, every Disappointment, becomes HIS-Appointment!
And I experience His Providence with me, always!”
That’s truly beautiful, isn’t it?
Are we ready to change the ‘Disappointments’ in our life to ‘Hisappointments’…
… Appointments with the Lord?”
Every person in the world faces moments of disappointments and darkness.
Some of us get encompassed by it.
Some of us get dejected by it.
The Gospel of Day presents a blind man, who faced immense darkness, but did not allow to get encompassed or dejected by it…
.. rather changed, the Disappointment into His-appointment!
The story of the Blind Beggar, healed by Jesus is an incident recorded in all the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke).
The star recipient in the story – the Blind Beggar – is the one who overcomes many hurdles and obstacles in his life…
… to obtain the glorious healing from the Lord.
What were some of these hurdles?
- He had to overcome the hurdle of “being blamed”
This blind man lived at a time when sicknesses were often traced to a life of sinfulness.
The man probably lived constantly under the shadow of this hurdle of “being blamed”.
He was probably blamed that he was blind because he or his ancestors had sinned greatly and was being “punished”.
But the man overcomes this “hurdle of being blamed” and finds the light of Jesus.
Am I in need of overcoming this guilt and shame of “being blamed”?
- He had to overcome the hurdle of ” being depressed and hopeless“
It is a pitiful fact to being a beggar, lying pathetically, sitting in his filthy, dirty rags on the side of the road.
The fact of his being blind made things even more worse.
Life was highly cruel on him and the darkness of hopelessness clouded him.
But he overcomes this “hurdle of being depressed and hopeless” and encounters the glow of Jesus.
Am I in need of overcoming this pain and sadness of being depressed and hopeless?”
- He had to overcome the hurdle of “discouragement and being put-down”
The crowd had become very hostile to the blind beggar, who wanted to meet Jesus and rebuked and shouted at him to be silent.
He had felt a ray of hope in Jesus, but the crowd considered him as a botheration and sought to suppress him.
But the man overcomes this hurdle of “discouragement and being put-down” and experiences the illumination of Jesus.
Am I in need of overcoming the crushing and burdensome factors of “discouragement and being put-down”?
The blind man shows us the way today, to overcoming hurdles…
…with an eager longing, a resolute determination and commendable humility.
Is my life blind, surrounded by the darkness of many hurdles? The Lord of Light is passing by…
Let’s raise our voices.
Let’s lift up our hearts.
Let’s jump over the hurdles!
“Jesus, Son of David…have mercy on me!”
Yes… life surely brings very often disappointments!
But with trust in the Lord and confidence in His Providence, let us…
‘Change a letter!…
… thus making ‘every Disappointment, as HIS-Appointment!’
God Bless! Live Jesus!
Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
INTERIOR PENANCE
Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed.
At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace.This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart) (CCC #1432)
Reflection Capsules 